Actions Speak Louder than Words
by Rosie2009
Summary: Uma reflects on all that happened the night of the day that the two worlds across the sea connected, having a heart-to-heart with the last person she expected to be deeply discussing her feelings with. A sequel to "Keep Your Enemies Closer" and "His Captain" with Mal and Uma friendship feels. It's advisable to read those two fics before this one, but it's not necessary.


Uma plopped down on a bench, successfully managing to sneak away from the party that had been going on since much earlier in the day. The pirate queen had had a long, great day. And it was all thanks to the daughter of Maleficent, Uma's once sworn nemesis.

The girl sighed in a mix of contentment and pure exhaustion. A strange feeling had settled deep within her bones. It was raw and pure and overwhelming in its strength. It left her feeling awfully exposed and it was perhaps what had sent her outside that evening.

Uma sighed deeply, considering all that had happened that day with a lowered gaze and a solemn face.

Over the course of only a few days, Uma had made a deal with who was supposedly her biggest enemy, had been brutally betrayed and consequently deeply hurt by that said supposed enemy, and had her people liberated from the cursed prison across the sea. Uma was really not sure what to feel at this point. She supposed it was overall a sense of healing.

It was something that she had most certainly not experienced in a very long time. Uma was so used to bitterness and hurt being such an intricate part of her everyday life that this healing was a difficult concept for her mind to fully comprehend. It was nice, though. It was undeniably an extremely nice feeling to have circulating through her form.

Forgiveness was yet another concept that she was not used to, but yet it seemed to be flowing freely within her as she thought of her best friend turned greatest enemy for many years turned best friend yet again. As much as she knew that she could hold a grudge against Mal, and how she likely would've if this had been one of their usual fights on the Isle, she couldn't find it within herself to remain angry with Mal now.

Mal had done too great of a service to her people and her, but most importantly, Mal had done a service to her people.

Several months ago, if Ben would have offered the freedom to come to Auradon to not only her, but to Harry and Gil as well, she very well might would have taken him up on it. She would definitely not have been anywhere near full satisfaction, but it would have been enough for a temporary fix. She could've gotten her two best friends off of the Isle and to where she knew they deserved to be. Uma had to cover it up with great dreams of grandeur and self-importance, but the land that she wanted a cut of was not only for her benefit and was rather for two of the most important people in her life.

Uma shook her head, pursing her lips as she considered this new set of somewhat depressing thoughts.

"Don't tell me you're going to cry on me, too," a voice suddenly spoke up. Uma jumped a bit at the sudden noise, and she looked up at the invader leaning against the wall nearby. Mal smirked at her reaction, and Uma heavily rolled her eyes in response, chuckling at the other girl. Speak of the she-devil, and she shall appear.

"No, I ain't crying. I haven't went totally soft, y'know," Uma assured her. Mal just eyed her with that smug, half-lidded look. The faerie stepped forward so that she wasn't hiding behind the wall anymore and Uma quickly took in the other girl's appearance, truly noticing the details of the design of the dress.

Uma couldn't help but admit that Evie certainly had a great talent. And she had a great model to exhibit that innate ability that the bluenette possessed.

Uma quickly shook herself from her admiration for the other two girls. Since when was she having such Auradon-esque thoughts? Of course, she guessed it was like Harry had said earlier. They were in Auradon now, and she was probably permanently infected.

"So, is there room on the broom?" Mal questioned after a moment, standing by the bench somewhat awkwardly. Uma scooted a bit away from the middle of the bench so that she was positioned more to the left.

"You didn't have to move that far."

"Gotta make room for your big butt," Uma joked, and Mal scrunched her nose at the pirate before sitting down next to her tiredly.

Uma looked at the other girl for a moment before nudging her shoulder. Mal moved dramatically with the hit before bumping into Uma's a bit harder. They both shared a grin, still reveling in the etherealness of it all as they settled.

"So who's crying?" Uma inquired after a short moment, referring back to Mal's original statement.

"Audrey's been having a really tough time of it. She remembers everything that happened, and she's been feeling really guilty about it," Mal somewhat sadly recounted in a way that told Uma that there was more to the story.

However, Uma didn't bother questioning about it, and she respected Mal's unsaid reasons for a lack of details. She knew that it was likely because it was the pink princess's business and Mal understandably didn't want to be the one waving her deepest secrets around.

"I can imagine. Can't be easy waking up to a world that has been half turned to stone and half put to sleep and know that you're responsible for it all. Fairy Godmother did fix it before Audrey woke up, but she sure as heck didn't fix the feelings left over by it," Uma explained, a little shocked at herself for the sudden unexpected expression of feeling.

"That is most certainly true," Mal agreed. Uma nodded at her and they both quieted as they relaxed together in the quiet of the night.

Uma eyed the bridge before them and she couldn't help but feel another wave of relief and happiness wash through her as her eyes rested on the sight. It had been a truly glorious day that Uma hadn't even in her wildest dreams could have thought would ever actually happen.

Uma glanced at Mal, noticing that the faerie seemed to be just as absorbed with the view as Uma was. Uma took in a breath, leaning her head over and looking at the new Queen-to-be.

"Heckuva day, wasn't it?" Uma questioned, successfully breaking the silence as they sat in comfortable company under the moonlight. Mal laughed- a full, wholehearted laugh in response to Uma, and the pirate couldn't help but smile in response.

"Yes, it was," Mal replied simply with a happy grin sent in Uma's direction. Uma dipped her head as she looked at the bridge, lanterns lighting the way so that any night-crossers could come over if they were too shy to do so in the light of day.

"Y'know, if you'd have told me a week ago that I'd be sitting right here in front of this bridge, seeing my two worlds cross together, I would've laughed in your face," Mal softly admitted, looking at Uma with a strange fondness that the pirate was certainly not used to receiving.

"Yeah, ditto there," Uma agreed. Mal bit her lip and Uma looked at her, sensing that the faerie had more to say.

She quite honestly wouldn't be surprised. Uma herself had such an overwhelming fountain of things she felt that she needed to say that she almost couldn't keep them all in order. Of course, most of the things that Uma wanted and needed to say were things that she never actually would express out loud, but she hoped that she could somehow piece together a way to show it through actions.

Words never were Uma's strongpoint and if she admired someone, liked them, or appreciated them, she would rather show them than say it. Words seemed almost like trickery to Uma, and she oftentimes had a very difficult struggle with believing in them. Trusting in one's word without any immediate action to back it set alarms off in Uma's head and communicated to her to run before she was hurt by the person.

However, she didn't want to treat Mal that way. Mal had gained a position of ultimate respect and deep care in Uma's world, which was a feat that was nigh impossible to accomplish. Mal was one of those people that had used words and backed them with undeniable action.

And Uma was eternally grateful for it.

"I'm sorry," Mal spoke, looking straight ahead. Uma glanced at her, but quickly returned her eyes to the same view that Mal was enjoying.

Uma knew what the faerie was apologizing for, but she honestly didn't think there was any need. However, she couldn't help but feel a bit of softness at the words that were spoken, and she didn't exactly understand why. No one's words ever had a softening effect on her, and she never believed any persons words more than she had Mal's recently. Except for Harry and Gil, of course, but she expected their words to be truths because they were her crew.

Uma wet her lips, knowing that Mal was waiting for some sort of answer.

"I'm sorry, too," Uma finally spoke. Mal nodded, looking down at the hard stone under their feet.

"Sometimes, I really wish that we weren't little turds when we were kids," Mal very seriously admitted. Uma immediately burst out laughing in response to the deadpan comment, simultaneously registering the solemnness and genuineness behind the statement but also finding the somberness of it all amusing.

Mal chuckled, too, but she quickly lost her smile and looked over at the dark-skinned girl with a heaviness in her gaze. Uma swiftly got a hold of herself and connected her own stare with that of the faerie.

"Maybe we could've stayed friends. Maybe we could've came here together," Mal told her only somewhat hesitantly as they sat together. Uma furrowed her brow, listening to Mal's words intently and hearing the emotion floating in each syllable.

"I'm not just sorry I lied to you," Mal sighed. "I'm sorry that you had to stay there alone."

"I had Harry and Gil. I wasn't alone," Uma assured her with much more confidence than she actually felt on the inside.

Uma was quite honestly baffled that they were having this conversation in the first place. It was not at all a likely one for the two of them, but Mal had changed quite a bit it seemed. It was funny. Uma felt like she hadn't hardly changed a bit from the small stubborn girl that was heartbroken upon losing the only friend she had because of a stupid wrong reaction.

"No, you weren't. But I think you were alone on the inside," Mal told her, and Uma was almost terrified of the mind-reading that Mal had seemed to do in that moment.

Mal looked at her knowingly, and Uma swallowed, grinning slightly in an attempt to release some of the tension inside of her.

It was very unfortunately true. Uma had been very alone on the inside. No one at the Isle had experienced that sense of overwhelming anger, deprivation, and hurt in such a hugely intense manner as Uma had.

Uma just looked at Mal, hoping she could convey what she was thinking. Mal met her gaze for a few moments before nodding.

"I guess what I am trying to say is that I am sorry for the way I treated you and that I'm sorry you had to do it alone."

"I did you that way, too, though. So don't totally blame yourself," Uma reassured her hesitantly, the words painstakingly hard for Uma to express. Mal quietly regarded her for a moment before taking another breath. Uma was a little worried at this point about whatever else Mal had to say. This had been an exceedingly odd conversation turned heart-to-heart.

"Uma, you are an incredibly strong person," Mal finally started.

"Not any stronger than you," Uma quickly interjected, trying to fill some debt that she felt she owed with that statement being said to her.

"Thank you, but seriously. Because you're so strong, I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot," Uma replied with an easiness that she most certainly didn't feel inside. She wondered what her strength had to do with whatever was about to come out of the faerie's mouth. It couldn't be good, though, of that she was certain.

"I've been thinking about it, and I want to offer you a very important position." Uma's deep brown eyes met Mal's much lighter green gaze, the pirate's breath held as she waited.

"I would like you to be my Captain of the Guard," Mal expressed to Uma. Uma's eyes widened in shock, completely baffled at Mal's statement.

"Uh, why me? There's like a ton of people here that would be infinitely more qualified for the job."

"Really? Do you see anybody else around here that can swordfight, command utmost respect from a large group of people, and above all else rule as well as you can?" Uma just looked at Mal in response, silently conveying that Mal was able to do all of those things, too.

"Besides me. I'm Queen, seaweed-breath. I can't be everything," Mal laughed and Uma smiled.

"What would I be doing?" Uma questioned, trying to gain an understanding of what it was that Mal wanted her to do. Uma already knew that she wanted the job just because she wanted to prove herself to Mal and do anything she could to help the other girl now that they were finally reunited. But she couldn't let Mal know that, and she really did want to hear the job description.

"You'd be accompanying me to almost every big social event, you'd be training guards, and you'd have a lot of power in big decisions in Auradon."

"That first and last one sounds more like something Evie should be doing."

"Evie does do those things, but you'll be like the second-in-command to Auradon's army, which is just as vitally important as Evie's job and would require you to be involved in _our_ new world," Mal emphasized, looking at Uma with a seriousness and a pleading in her expression.

"Plus, you'd be able to take time off whenever you felt like it. Seriously, at most, you'd have to train the elite guard once a week. Auradon's pretty peaceful," Mal shrugged and Uma nodded in deep thought.

Uma didn't know so much about the parties and training people, but Uma knew that she wanted to help Mal build this new world for the groups on either side of the bridge. And she knew that Mal was trying to give her an opportunity to do so.

"So what do you say?" Mal questioned hopefully and Uma met eyes with the other girl, knowing that her decision was already made. Uma smirked at Mal, the corners of her lips quirking in something between smarminess and genuine happiness.

"I'll have to check with my associates and look into my very busy schedule, but I think I just might be your girl for the job," Uma gave her official reply, her expression softening to a much softer expression of emotion as she looked at her newly regained best friend.

Mal just beamed.

"Great! I'll run it by Ben, and you'll be in lickety-split!" Mal enthusiastically told her.

"You mean you haven't even told Ben yet?! He is the King, you know!" Uma exclaimed with disbelief as she laughed at Mal. Mal just shrugged her shoulders sneakily.

"Yeah, but he's a total sucker," Mal informed her. Uma shook her head at the crazy girl sitting next to her but grinned at her.

Once their laughter had subsided, however, Uma swallowed somewhat nervously as she sucked in a hesitant breath. Uma carefully reached a hand over to the faerie, her palm facing up as she waited with bated breath to see if Mal would accept the gesture. When they were kids, Uma was always the one that offered her hand first. If the two had to cross a large gap or do anything else that would require one holding on to another, Uma always reached for Mal's hand first. She hoped that Mal remembered that tradition and would perhaps hold her to it once again.

Mal looked down at the hand against her knee and without hesitation firmly placed her own hand in it, lacing her fingers with Uma's. Mal smiled at Uma, but Uma avoided her gaze, staring ahead at the flickering lights on the bridge.

"What a strange conversation this has been," Uma quietly expressed to Mal, and the Queen-to-be wholeheartedly nodded.

"Yeah, but we should do it more often, though," Mal sincerely spoke. Uma nodded, not uttering a single word as Mal squeezed her hand a little tighter.

Uma found that she really wanted to talk sincerely with Mal more often. Not about feelings and things, but about things that they genuinely liked and shared interest in. She wanted just a little shred of what Mal had seemed to so successfully forge with Evie, because it looked like such a nice thing to have.

Uma had been hanging out with boys for so long that she had almost forgotten how great it was to speak to someone of the same gender that could understand just basic things like cramps. Even though it was absolutely hilarious when Harry had one time accidentally figured out that it was that time of the month. He ran for his life at that moment and Uma hadn't laughed so hard since.

Uma assessed the other girl quickly. She could definitely get used to this female camaraderie.

"Hey, Mal?" Uma finally whispered once a few beats had passed.

"Yeah?"

"We shall never speak of this depressing, mushy conversation to anyone." Mal just laughed heartily in response and Uma offered a soft smile.

"No, we shall not."

Maybe words weren't such a bad thing. At least when they were coming from someone whose word was proven true in the end.

And as Uma looked at Mal and laughed with her under the moonlight, despite the faerie's faults and occasional lies that she always righted in the end, she honestly couldn't think of anyone whose word was truer.

**A/N: Uma is the biggest sweetheart ever. There is such a serious competition for my favorite character between her and Evie. I've been wanting to write something like this since I watched D3 for the first time. Uma evolved into such a beautiful and interesting character, and I just love this new developed person. D3 gave a reason for why she did the things that she did and it really touched on how much she cares for Mal, Harry, Gil, and just the Isle kids as a whole.**

**I hope you all enjoyed it, and please let me know how I did! :) Until the next fanfic!**


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